• About us
  • GSDRC Publications
  • Research Helpdesk
  • E-Learning
  • E-Bulletin

GSDRC

Governance, social development, conflict and humanitarian knowledge services

  • Governance
    • Democracy & elections
    • Public sector management
    • Security & justice
    • Service delivery
    • State-society relations
    • Supporting economic development
  • Social Development
    • Gender
    • Inequalities & exclusion
    • Poverty & wellbeing
    • Social protection
  • Humanitarian Issues
    • Humanitarian financing
    • Humanitarian response
    • Recovery & reconstruction
    • Refugees/IDPs
    • Risk & resilience
  • Conflict
    • Conflict analysis
    • Conflict prevention
    • Conflict response
    • Conflict sensitivity
    • Impacts of conflict
    • Peacebuilding
  • Development Pressures
    • Climate change
    • Food security
    • Fragility
    • Migration & diaspora
    • Population growth
    • Urbanisation
  • Approaches
    • Complexity & systems thinking
    • Institutions & social norms
    • PEA / Thinking & working politically
    • Results-based approaches
    • Rights-based approaches
    • Theories of change
  • Aid Instruments
    • Budget support & SWAps
    • Capacity building
    • Civil society partnerships
    • Multilateral aid
    • Private sector partnerships
    • Technical assistance
  • M&E
    • M&E approaches
    • Indicators
    • Learning
Home»GSDRC Publications»Lessons from the coordination of refugee responses

Lessons from the coordination of refugee responses

Helpdesk Report
  • Iffat Idris
October 2017

Question

What lessons are there on what has made mixed humanitarian coordination models (with two or multiple coexisting lead agencies) most successful?

What lessons have we learnt about supporting the capacity of host governments and local authorities to lead on and coordinate a response to large-scale and/or protracted refugee or displacement response?

Summary

The literature review found little evidence of successes in coordination of refugee responses involving multiple lead agencies. Rather, it identified some clear lessons to emerge from recent experience of refugee response coordination, in particular from the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon. While host governments are assigned primary responsibility for refugee responses in international law, they face many challenges and, in practice, it is aid agencies who lead these – often bypassing host state actors. The literature highlights the need to involve host states and stresses the importance of capacity building to support this.  Concerns over lack of capacity and/or misuse of aid by affected host states mean that the ‘norm’ in international humanitarian assistance models has been ‘state avoidance’, with aid agencies taking the lead in refugee responses. Some wealthier developing countries are now asserting their lead role in responding to disasters, but capacity can still be a constraint.

file type icon See Full Report [PDF - 355 KB]

Enquirer:

  • DFID

Suggested citation

Idris, I. (2017). Lessons from the coordination of refugee responses. K4D Helpdesk Report 225. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies.

Related Content

Coping mechanisms in South Sudan in relation to different types of shock
Helpdesk Report
2020
Integrated approaches to refugee management in Uganda
Helpdesk Report
2020
Linking Social Protection and Humanitarian Response – Best Practice
Helpdesk Report
2019
Humanitarian Access, Protection, and Diplomacy in Besieged Areas
Helpdesk Report
2019
birminghamids hcri

gro.crdsg@seiriuqne Feedback Disclaimer

Outputs supported by FCDO are © Crown Copyright 2021; outputs supported by the Australian Government are © Australian Government 2021; and outputs supported by the European Commission are © European Union 2021
Connect with us: facebooktwitter

Outputs supported by FCDO are © FCDO Crown Copyright 2021; outputs supported by the Australian Government are © Australian Government 2021; and outputs supported by the European Commission are © European Union 2021

We use cookies to remember settings and choices, and to count visitor numbers and usage trends. These cookies do not identify you personally. By using this site you indicate agreement with the use of cookies. For details, click "read more" and see "use of cookies".OkRead more